The instant invention relates to jewelry display apparatus and more particularly to a method of making a jewelry display card and to the display card thereby formed.
Various types of jewelry display cards have been heretofore available, and many of the heretofore available types of display cards have been found to be effective for supporting various jewelry items in retail displays. In this regard, hanger-type display cards comprising a main card member which is adapted for supporting one or more jewelry items thereon and a hanger member which extends rearwardly from the upper edge of the card member for supporting the card member on a hanger, such as a horizontal hanger bar, have been found to be highly effective for displaying various types of jewelry items in retail displays. Display cards of a type commonly referred to as puff-pad cards have also been found to be highly effective for supporting various types of jewelry items in retail displays. Puff-pad type display cards generally comprise a substantially flat card member, a soft foam pad on the front side of the card member, and a flexible, plastic sheet on the foam pad which is welded to the card member around substantially the entire perimeter of the card member. Puff-pads cards have often been found to be preferable to other types of display cards since the padded front surfaces thereof provide rich, softly padded backgrounds for jewelry items displayed thereon. However, while both hanger type cards and puff-pad cards have been heretofore available, hanger-type puff-pad cards having the combined features of these two types of cards have not been heretofore available. In this connection, this is because the heretofore available methods have not been capable of both welding a plastic sheet and a foam pad to the front side of a card member and welding a hanger member to the rear side of the card member without either damaging the foam pad and/or the plastic sheet or producing an incomplete seam between the plastic sheet and the card member.
The instant invention provides an effective method which, for the first time, makes it possible to effectively construct a hanger-type puff-pad card comprising a substantially flat card member, a hanger member which is welded to the rear side of the card member, a foam pad on the front side of the card member, and a flexible plastic sheet on the front side of the foam pad which is welded to the card member around substantially the entire perimeter of the card member. Specifically, the method of the instant invention comprises the steps of positioning an elongated plastic hanger member on the rear side of a substantially flat card member and welding the hanger member to the card member. In this regard, the hanger member is of generally U-shaped, sectional configuration, and it includes an elongated, substantially flat front flange portion having an upper end, an upper portion which extends rearwardly from the upper end of the flange portion, and a rear portion which extends downwardly from the upper portion. The flange portion of the hanger member is welded to the rear side of the card member so that it is spaced inwardly from the perimeter of the card member by at least approximately one-sixteenth of an inch. The method further comprises the steps of thereafter overlaying a foam pad and a flexible plastic sheet on the front side of the card member and welding the plastic sheet to the card member around substantially the entire perimeter of the card member in order to secure the plastic sheet and the foam pad to the front side of the card member. In this connection, the plastic sheet is preferably welded to the card member by forming a continuous welded seam between the plastic sheet and the card member having a width of at least approximately one-sixteenth of an inch. The card member, the hanger member, the foam pad and the plastic sheet are preferably all made of vinyl plastic materials, such as PVC plastic materials, and the hanger member and the plastic sheet are preferably welded to the card member by dielectric welding. Further, the foam pad is preferably dimensioned so that it substantially covers the front side of the card member, and the plastic sheet is preferably welded to the card member through the foam pad. However, it is not necessary that the foam pad be either the same size as the card member or that it be welded to the card member.
It has been found that the method of the instant invention can be effectively utilized to form hanger-type puff-pad display cards. In this regard, because the hanger member is secured to the rear side of the card member before the foam pad and the flexible plastic sheet are secured to the front side of the card member, the hanger member can be secured to the card member without causing damage to the foam pad and/or the flexible plastic sheet. Further, because the hanger member is secured to the card member so that it is spaced inwardly from the perimeter of the card member, the rear perimeter portions of the card member are effectively engageable by a welding apparatus in order to weld the flexible sheet to the front side of the card member around substantially the entire perimeter of the card member. Hence, by practicing the method steps of the subject invention in the proper sequence and by positioning the hanger member in the appropriate orientation on the rear side of the card member, both the hanger member and the plastic sheet can be dielectrically welded to the card member to produce an effective hanger-type puff-pad card.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide an effective method of making a hanger-type puff-pad display card.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a method of both welding a plastic hanger element to the rear side of a plastic card member and welding a foam pad and a flexible plastic sheet to the front side of the card member around substantially the entire perimeter of the card member.
An even further object of the instant invention is to provide an effective hanger-type puff-pad display card for jewelry.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.